The new Highway 5 bridge over the Osage Arm of Lake of the Ozarks at the 35 mile marker is being built less than five feet to the east of the existing Hurricane Deck Bridge. For an estimated $32.3 million, the American Bridge Co. is constructing a new crossing that will be 38 feet wide to accommodate two 12-foot driving lanes with seven-foot shoulders on each side.

What's new

The first pouring of concrete for four pier locations - two on land and two in the water - has been done. Two pourings must be done for each pier to get them to the right height to meet the girders and superstructure of the bridge, according to Missouri Department of Transportation spokesperson Bob Lynch. There will be a total of 10 pier locations and two abutments on each end, he said.

What's next

Drivers on Hwy. 5 should expect delays at the bridge on Mondays when traffic may be reduced to one lane as workers continue to pour piers in the water from the existing bridge. According to Lynch, workers will spend the rest of the summer and into fall finishing the first and second concrete pourings. Some minor grading for retaining walls at each end of the bridge and road excavation mainly on the north end is also being done this summer, Lynch said. The project is slated to be finished in late 2013. Demolition of the existing bridge will occur sometime in spring 2014.